Skip Online Applications and HR and Send Straight to the Hiring Manager

You should read this terrific article from Ask A Manager: Are online application processes avoidable? A reader who has been frustrated by the black hole of online applications processes asks if the way to go is to contact the hiring manager with some attention-grabbing subject line or graphics in the email. The answer (in the article) is that “it depends.” Some companies are going to want you to go through the process they ask you to go through and will be annoyed if you don’t; and some companies are fine with your bypassing the HR process entirely to get to the hiring manager. (There’s also several terrific comments from job hunters about their experiences both ways–but most are getting their best results by skipping HR.)

The upshot of it is that you are likely to have a better result by contacting the hiring manager directly, especially if you’re transitioning into a new career area (HR’s looking for specific keywords, not transferable skills)…but to be careful of “gimmicks” in your email, which can take a bad turn into obnoxiousness pretty easily. Overall, the best way to go is to grab the attention of the hiring manager is to find a connection to the person or the company and get a recommendation from them. (That’s why your network is so important.)